Visualizing Kinship

June 4 – August 27, 2022 

Chicago & East Galleries 

Kinship is understood as a state of relatedness; kin are defined as people of common ancestry. Kinship can also refer to the broader web of social relationships we construct through marriage and group belonging. For this exhibition, curator Michelle Sunset partnered with Dr. Alexandra Kelly, Associate Professor of History and Anthropology and Director of the Anthropology Museum to mine the Art Museum’s collection for objects that allow a deeper exploration of “kinship.” This selection of over 50 objects from around the world invites visitors to move beyond a basic understanding of kin as a biological family to consider the material culture used to express belonging through technique, ritual, and symbol, and to reflect on the interconnectedness between humans and the greater natural world.

 

Funded through the generosity of the Fred & Pam Rentschler Endowment for the University Art Museum Collections.

 

Images:

 

Hung Liu (Chinese-American, 1948-2021), Not in Kansas, 2016, oil on canvas, 96 x 120 x 3 inches, anonymous donor, 2017.7 

James Whitehorn (Diné), Wedding Vase, ceramic, 7 x 5-1/2 x 5 inches, gift of James R. Nolan, 1992.1.31